1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an improved plug, and/or plug and cord connector combination commonly used in the manufacture of decorative lighting products such as Christmas lights and rope lights. Although useful in the manufacture of incandescent based decorative lighting, the present invention is designed primarily for use with holiday and decorative lighting using LEDs (light emitting diodes) as an illumination source. An optional intermediate or junction circuit is included for the manufacture of light string employing multiple series connections.
2. Description of Related Art
Plugs and cord connectors that are known in the art for use in the manufacture of decorative lighting products such as Christmas lights and rope lights provide an inexpensive and reliable manner in which to house and insulate conductor terminals compatible with a standard AC outlets, optional overload protection (fuses) and conductor wire contacts. They are not designed to accommodate control circuits such as rectification, current reduction, current limiting, voltage reduction, blinking or flashing circuitry. These circuits are added afterwards and are typically housed somewhere between the plug and cord connector, adding cost, reducing reliability, complicating the manufacturing process, and detracting from the appearance of the light string.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,972,528 describes a rectification scheme wherein a portion of the rectification circuitry may be combined with the front plug or the rear plug however, the structure of the plug or cord connector is not disclosed and appears to have been added as an afterthought. Moreover, the circuitry described in the prior art decreases LED life expectancy, maximizes electrical power consumption and increases the number of wires required in the manufacture of the decorative light string as series connections are added.